This invention relates in general to the production of bagged ice, and more particularly to equipment for storing ice cubes prior to bagging.
On a commercial basis ice is produced in relatively large quantities by bulk ice machines. These machines, however, have no capacity for storing the ice or bagging it, and consequently additional equipment is necessary in the form of bulk ice bins and bagging machines. The ice bins of course store the ice derived from the bulk ice making machine and allow it to be withdrawn slowly for bagging in the bagging machine.
Most ice bins for small and medium size commercial ice plants are nothing more than adaptations of farm equipment. For example, some are derived from the beds of farm wagons, others are essentially spreaders for fertilizer, while still others are mere corn cribs. Irrespective of their derivation, conventional ice bins are quite expensive and add significantly to the capitalization required for an ice plant. Moreover, many are open on top and not insulated, and therefore they are not well suited for warm room bagging.
Aside from the foregoing, the capacity of a bulk ice machine to a large measure depends on the temperature of the water that is fed to the machine. To increase the capacity of their machines, many operators of small and medium size ice plants have installed precooling units in the water line leading to their machines. These precoolers are separate refrigeration systems and are expensive in their own right. They consequently add still more to the capital required for the plants in which they are used and furthermore are expensive to operate.